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Before Inuyasha, there are two comics Urusei-Yatsura and Ranma1/2 by Takahashi Rumiko. Those comics have common interest as Rumic-world so to speak, and they have a lot of fans respectively. But the style of each works are greatly different, and the serialized time is different, too.
Comparison of the works
Character's special talent 1999/05/28
Characters and school 1999/05/28
Heroine's school uniform 1999/05/28
Comparison of works surroundings
Impact and influence degree to society 1999/06/03
how to enjoy 1999/06/03
Character's special talent
■ Urusei-Yatsura Ranma1/2 Inu-Yasha Example of special talent
Flight / Blitz
Transformed by water and hot water/
Combative sport
Monster magic/
Shrine maiden's power
Origin of special talent
Inherent
Acquired
Fatal
Dependancy of talent
low middle
high
Concept of talent in works
Concomitance of talent
Sharing of talent
compete as a combative sport
Monopoly of talent
Characters of the Urusei-Yatsura, the Ranma1/2, and the Inu-Yasha also have special some talents. For instance, they are flight, blitz, transformation, combative sport, monster magic, and shrine maiden's power. However, it is different that how to get their talent.
In the Urusei-Yatsura, Lum flies over the sky and put out the blitz. Certainly, her talent is special for the human race. However, it is only a usual talent for her race, because every member of the race inherently has the ability.
In the Ranma1/2, every person who took a bath to Jusenkyo, the cursed fountain, acquires the ability of the some transformation. It is a kind of talent obtained acquired. And, characters of the Ranma1/2 do the combative sport, they are the talent to which it is acquired.
In the Inu-Yasha, everyone is not able to acquire the talent that monster magic and shrine maiden's power. These talents who can use them are limited, only the selected person can use it. In it, a very fatal element is strong.
It reflects the difference of these talents in the difference of the proportion of a special talent in the work. In Urusei-Yatsura, it approve as a story even if Lum does not have the ability of the frihnt or blitz. In the Ranma1/2, if Ranma could not transform, it becomes a mere combative sport comic. In the Inu-Yasha, it does not approve the story if there is no monster magic and the shrine maiden power. In a word, Inu-Yasha is a work which completely depends on the talent.
The following differences are seen when thinking about the role of the talent of three works. In the Urusei-Yatsura, the talent of each character has been concomitant. For instance, abikities of Lum, Lan, Benten and Oyukii have been concomitant. Each talent does not compete. In the Ranma1/2, lots of characters have a unique talent, but many of them are included in the category of the combative sport. The talent of the combative sport competes mutually. On the other hand, the Inu-Yasha is a story which basically aims at the monopoly of a sacred gem. That is, it can be said that the Inu-Yasha is a story to monopolize the talent.
Characters and school
■ Urusei-Yatsura Ranma1/2 Inu-Yasha Specific gravity of campus life
high
middle
low
Relation between student and teacher
high
middle
low
Relation between student and student
high
middle
low
In the Urusei-Yatsura, the specific gravity of the campus life in the work was very high. Many of the story are made in high school. Students' individuality was rich in variety, teachers' individuality was also various. They were making a dense interpersonal relationship. Similarly, the relation between the student and the student was also dense. They were uniting in the difficulty although they sometimes hostile.
In the Ranma1/2, the specific gravity of the campus life in the story has decreased relatively. Because it shifted to the combative sport. Therefore, the chance that the school becomes a stage decreased, so the story came to be made only from the character to be able to do the combative sport. Consequentry, usual classmate did not appear so much. Similarly, the teacher did not appear so much either exclude an example active of the principal.
In the Inu-Yasha, the scene of the campus life hardly appeared. A stage usually became a civil wars age when the apparition wriggled. Therefore, the chance that a present school appears is rare. Teacher and classmate hardly appear, too. It can be call Inu-Yasha is the comics which removed the campus life from Urusei-Yatsura or Ranma1/2.
Heroine's school uniform
■ Urusei-Yatsura Ranma1/2 Inu-Yasha Frequency of heroines put on school uniform
low
middle
high
Place where they put on school uniform
school uniform in the school
bikini of stripes pattern in another
school uniform in the school.
plain clothes in the home.
suit for Judo practice in the gym.
school uniform even the civil wars age
Meaning of the school uniform distinguished school wiht other places
changes clothes at each place put on as a symbol of the contemporary girl.
Lum, who was the heroine of the Urusei-Yatsura, her basic clothes were bikinis of stripes pattern. Lum wore the school uniform only when she went to school. The school uniform for Lum has the following meanings that is adjusted to the school in the earth, especially she adjusted to the school in Japan (because school uniform is worn at school in Japan).
Moroboshi Aratu, the hero of Urusei-Yatsura, also basically wore the school uniform, too. (It was daily clothes for him.) Urusei-Yatsura had the element of "educational institution drama" in Japan. There is a close relation between the "educational institution drama" in Japan and the school uniform.
By the way, Lum changed clothes to the bikini at once when returning from the school. There was rarely what by she put on the school uniform in places other than the school. Main clothes were bikinis for her, and the school uniform was only for school.
In the Ranma1/2, heroine's Tendo Akane puts on the school uniform. The frequency of the school uniform has increased compared with Urusei-Yatsura. She wore the school uniform by a lot of scenes, at the school, on the way to school, in the shopping street etc. She change to plain clothes when she coming home, but the time that she wore the school uniform was comparatively long. Ranma1/2 has the element of the "educational institution drama", too.
On the other hand, in the Inu-Yasha, the heroine Higurashi Kagome willingly worn the school uniform. She wears the school uniform even she is going to the civil wars age though though is not to put on the school uniform there.
In a word, in the Inu-Yasha, it is different to the school uniform from the Urusei-Yatsura or Ranma1/2. In the Inu-Yasha, The school uniform does not prove belonging to the school. It symbolizes the contemporary girl. Because, only the girl wears the school uniform.
In the Inu-Yasha, school uniform is not as the element of the "educational institution drama". It has the meaning as the symbol of the contemporarygirl . Kagome puts on the school uniform as a symbol of the contemporary girl in the civil wars age.
Impact and influence degree to society
■ Urusei-Yatsura Ranma1/2 Inu-Yasha Acknowledgment degree to society
high
middle
low
Influence to another comics
high
middle
low
The acknowledgment degree to the society of the work is controlled whether it is telecaste on TV. It should consider that the relation between TV series and degree of acknowledgment.
The TV version of the Urusei-Yatsura was telecasted for a long term at the time zone of the peak viewing period. It acquired the audience rating 20% or more to the first stage.
The heroine's character design and clothes were too denounced with stirring up before.
However, it is proof to which Urusei-Yatsura had been widely acknowledged people.
The TV version of the Ranma1/2, at first, it was telecast of the peak viewing period. However, the audience rating was lower than the Urusei-Yatsura. Tnen, Ranma1/2 was discontinued at half a year, and moved at the time zone in the evening and renewed. By moving time zone, Ranma1/2 was changed to production for small children. Of course, Ranma1/2 acquired constant popularity. However, the popularity concentrated among the so-called Anime-fan. It was not supported more widely by the general public than Urusei-Yatsura.
In the Inu-Yasha, it is only serialized on the Shonen Sunday Comics now, The schedule of telecaste on TV is not present. Therefore, the Inu-Yasha is acknowledged only about 1,500,000 people who are the issue number of copies of Shonen Sunday Comics and an ardent fans of Takahashi Rumiko in the world. By the way, in television telecast, it acquires 1,000,000 viewers an audience every 1 percent. If the TV version of the Inu-Yasha is not produced, it might be difficult to acquire the fans widely.
Next, we think about the influence which each work gave to another comics.
Comics before the Urusei-Yatsura was distinguished by gag comic and story comic. Urusei-Yatsura abolished the distinction. In addition, it added a lot of elements such as SF, the educational institution drama, and the love comedy. Urusei-Yatsura is evaluated as an epoch-making work on the comic history. Therefore, Urusei-Yatsura exerted an influence large as for other comic cartoonist.
The Ranma1/2 was serialized when the combative sport technique becomes a boom in Japan. In the setting, there were a lot of original element. However, Ranma1/2 did not give the influence like the Urusei-Yatsura to another comics. The reason there ware many comics which treated the combative sport. The originality of Ranma1/2 did not stand out so much.
The Inu-Yasha also constructs an original outlook on the world. It is very interesting, but it does not influence other comics.
how to enjoy
■ Urusei-Yatsura Ranma1/2 Inu-Yasha Time restriction of appreciation
high
middle
low
Key word of media
Television
Video Cassette Recorder
Computer
From the Urusei-Yatsura to the Inu-Yasha, the issue pattern of an original comic has not been changed. First of all, it is serialized to Shonen Sunday of total comic magazine, and it becomes comic books.
It is the same old times and now how to enjoy an original comic. However, how to enjoy the TV series has changed greatly. When the Urusei-Yatsura was telecasted, a Video Cassette Recorder was not enough widespread yet.
The fan who hope to see the Urusei-Yatsura was restrained time. That is, they had to be in front of the television at 7:30 PM every Wednesday. There was no means to preserve the reflection. The fan had only the means to record the cassette tape-recorder. They enjoyed only the voice of the television.
When the TV series of the Ranma1/2 was telecasted, the spread of video cassette recorder was advanced. Video Cassette Recorder can record the television program. Therefore, the fan was liberated from the restraint at the provided time by television. Still more, it was able to preserve the program for recording. An ardent fan came to be able to see Ranma1/2 many times.
The Inu-Yasha has not been telecasted in TV yet. However, if it achieves telecast, video cassette recorder will continue and be used. DVD will be adopted if there is a chance that an original video of Inu-Yasha is put on the market. It is forecast that the medium of recording shifts from the videocassette to the hard drive and DVD of the personal computer in the future. A lot of fans have already enjoyed Inu-Yasha to use a computer. The use frequency of the computer will rise further in the future.